AFTERGLOW.| CYJ

liminal passage

Her stomach twisted in knots as the queue progressed. The gnawing hunger barely there but still present, a reminder of the last time she had eaten, and the time before that. Jihu had warned that if she neglected herself again, the consequences would be painful. Yeonjun didn't seem to catch a breather. He wanted to hurry and make her eat something before her sugar spiked. She had already fallen alseep earlier which indicated that it was more than just expelling her fatigue. Her body was telling her that she needed insulin.

She tugged his arm as they stood in the queue of atleast 10 people ahead of them. He didn't have to tiptoe, his tall height gave him the view how slowly the queue moved. He sliently tugged her arm, moving out of the queue to look ahead. Joohyun remained in the queue, newly edposing her tattooes to a new set of people around her.

The tension in the air felt thick as Joohyun stood there, trying to ignore the growing unease in her stomach. Every passing moment seemed to stretch into eternity, her thoughts swirling in a haze of self-doubt and fear. The hunger wasn’t just physical; it gnawed at her on a deeper level, reminding her of the cycle she couldn’t seem to break.

Yeonjun’s presence next to her was a comfort, but even his calm demeanor couldn’t quiet the storm brewing within her. She wanted to resist the pull of his concern, but the truth was undeniable: her body was already signaling that it was running low, and soon it would demand more than she could handle.

Joohyun’s fingers gripped his arm as they moved out of the queue. The weight of the situation was heavy, but she didn’t have the strength to fight it. As Yeonjun stood beside her, scanning the crowd, she felt the eyes on her, the strangers who couldn’t seem to look away from the tattoos that marked her skin. She tried to breathe through the discomfort, but it felt like every glance was a weight she had to carry.

Yeonjun spoke softly, his voice barely a murmur above the hum of the bustling space. "Hyuna, please… we need to get you something. You’ve gone too long without eating."

She didn’t respond at first, her gaze fixed on the floor, but the pressure in her chest only grew heavier with each passing second. She wanted to protest, to say she was fine, but the truth was, she wasn’t. And she hadn’t been for a long time.

And she wasn't denying him anymore. She stood next him quietly without plunging to stop him from caring for her. At times like these, she needed someone to care for her. She passed time as she looked away, tears brimming in her eyes. She was suffering silently, but she had almost gotten used to it. After a few unsuccessful attempts of holding back her tears, she reached for her vanity and pulled out wet wipes to help herself. She lifted it to her eye, but her hand was pulled away as Yeonjun tugged her to another queue, relatively shorter.

She was already overwhelmed from feeling too much and his impatience added to that frustration. He glanced at her tearing up but he himself wasn't emotionally feeling well to comfort her. He recalled the words that he had told her before the nap, that he wanted to take part in her pain, but what if that pain was too overwhelming? What if he himself couldn't handle it? The pressure of being perfect was returning back to him.

Within just a few seconds , he had thought about a million things. What if Joohyun fainted again? What if he didn't get a hospital on the way back, what if he weren't on time if something happens? He grew more anxious the queue delayed. He regretted having switching queues but it was a better choice since he could go for a protein option instead of carbs.

"Yeonjun", she called, but occupied with his thoughts, he doesn't respond. He finally realises it when she graons calling his name.

"Your phone's ringing", she informed, voice laced with tears, her head tilted such that the wipe soaked it all. Yeonjun pulls his phone out of his pocket, finally feeling it ring. A sigh of instant relief washed down his shoulders. It was mrs. Choi again. He immediately held his phone up his ear, as an angel who had heard his prayers. Her voice did not solve all the problems but it soothed him and gave him more strength to overcome this situation.